My Fist
by Shamanic Necro-neko
Summary: Akio and her husband Blaze find themselves in Germany... and Akio finds herself in love with a doctor there. More chapters up! R&R KUDASAI! Kami no eriaen o senshi ryuu characters blaze Wahoo! Read! Bad summary!
1. Germany

CHAPTER ONE—

"You don't know why," Akio said, looking over at the doorway where Shii was sitting there, flicking her dead and bony tail. Akio reached in a drawer and pulled out her gloves, putting them on and going to the table. Faust was much taller than she was and the table in his lab was thusly bigger than she. She grabbed a stool and slid it next to the table with her foot before climbing up and looking down at the body before her.

Shii, meowing once, clacked across the floor- glowing with a slightly hazy light glowing around it's joints- and pounced up on the table.

"Actually," Akio said, looking at her. "I don't know why either."

The dead cat snapped it's jaws together before looking at the body and flicking it's tail slowly.

"This is no one…" she said, pulling a small scalpel from one of her pockets. "Just someone I found."

Shii turned her eye-less skull to look at Akio, Akio looked at her. "What? I'm telling you the truth, aren't I? I mean, _you_ don't know who it is and you really don't need to know who it is—do you?"

"I do," Blaze, Akio's husband, said from the entrance to the lab. Blaze never came in the lab, nor did Akio think he liked the lab at all.

Akio looked up at him for a moment and watched his eyes darken slightly. "Why'd you get her?"

Shii hissed and stood up, small bones in her back arched as she swiped her paw through the air. Blaze looked at her darkly and Akio picked her up and stroked her. "Get whom? Shii? I've had shii since before I ever came out to Faust's lab."

Blaze glared silently before turning around- not going to press the subject more.

Akio ran to the stairway, remembering something. "Oh, Blaze, I'm due in Milan tomorrow—I may not be here when you get up."

"What? You're not going to bed again?"

Akio's attention had drifted over her shoulder at the table. "Depends on if this is any thing interesting—I never messed with my first one…"

He snorted and didn't look at her as he kept up the stairs. "First one?"

"Horo, he was the first thing I necromanced. It's a long story…It was…very sudden." She put Shii on her shoulder before bounding up the stairs after him. Shii hissed and clamped her claws into Akio's shoulder to keep from falling off. "So, I'm going to be in Milan for two days and then I'll come back."

"It's not like it matters- I never see you anyway…I never saw you when we lived in Australia either…you were always gone."

Akio paused mid-step and thought of something to say. "I was always busy," she stared back after him. "I was always with the family and you used to always be gone with your profession."

"I wasn't gone all the time."

"But you were gone a lot, I couldn't help the fact that the family wanted me to help them.."

"You could have said no."

"I don't often say no to people who need me to take care of them."

"And what if I need you to take care of me."

Akio stopped walking, hurt by the fact that she hadn't seen that, and went out to Faust's old room. She opened the window and climbed out of it, hanging her feet off the edge of the narrow German house and kicking her feet for awhile. She hadn't thought that Blaze was a dependant, though she knew he was, up until now.

She looked up at the sky- bright blue strewn with clouds as the sun glimmered brightly. She had had some of her happiest designs here in Germany- she had felt so full of love here as well…why had it all come crashing down today? She looked over as Shii scratched at the open door and came in, jumping up by her on the window. "Oh Shii…" She said, giving the small cat furiyoku ears and fur to cover her bones. "Warum beschlo ich, zu kommen sie?"

The cat tilted her head and meowed to her and Akio looked at the small roof below her. Barely a few feet away and thought about jumping off it.

She looked at the message she had left herself on the phone she had bought- she had decided she needed a phone. "Blaze? I'm on my way to Milan, get some sleep koi." She leaned back to grab her bag then leapt down onto the roof below her and then on the road, landing like a cat as Shii jumped- slipped and broke as she hit the ground. Akio collected her in a pocket and went down the road.

"Akio!-" someone called, she turned around to see Marik- she hadn't seen Marik in a long time.

"Hey—I'm on my way to the airport."

"Let me come with you?" he asked, catching up with her.

After a moment of thought Akio agreed, walking quickly down the streets to the airport. She grabbed some cover up out of her bag and put it under her eyes before smiling and climbing in the plane. "Alright, you can come with me."

"Thanks," Marik said, climbing in the plane and sitting by her.

They rode awhile until they reached the crowded city of Milan, Italy. Akio headed happily for her hotel, her hotel- the one she always went to when she came to the city. She got her key from the clerk and then went up to her room, Marik following. She threw her bag across the room as Marik sat on the couch, his new bed, and looked at her.

Akio dumped Shii out of her pocket and necromanced the cat—giving it two small furiyoku ears and letting her flick her tail before yawning.

"You need some sleep, Akio…" Marik pointed out from the couch. "You go to sleep- ok?"

She nodded slowly, smiling weakly before climbing on her bed and curling up. "Thank you, Marik."

"No problem…" He said as she went to sleep and Shii jumped up on the couch to curl up by him- he decided he'd need some sleep too and he closed his eyes to go to bed.

The phone went on vibrate the next day as Akio looked up at her reflection in the mirror and she fumbled in her pockets to find it, grabbing it out and reading the text message from Faust.

_Akio_

_New project--help?_

_-Faust_

She wrote back that she would before putting the phone in her purse. What did he need help with on his project?

"You going to wear something nice?" Akio asked from the closed door of the bathroom, as she got ready. "For my showing?"

"Are cargo pants ok?" Marik yelled through the door.

"Cargo's are fine I guess…" she said, putting on a business dress she had designed. She adjusted the sea-blue dress top and slung her bag over her shoulder, putting the last touches on her makeup. "Is it ok if I come out- you decent?"

"Yeah," He said- she came out and smiled. "You look nice, now, I have to get to the showing- let's go.."

She watched, pleased, as her showing went down the catwalk. She had been to showings before and each few months it was something very different- her style kept changing and changing and she loved it.

Akio looked over at Marik before she tapped him on the shoulder. "I'll be right back," she whispered- not wanting to cause a problem by leaving in the middle of the show.

"Alright," he said as she stood up and left the large auditorium of people.

She walked into the lobby and dialed back to Faust's phone. "Hello?"

"Faust? I got your message."

"Really?" he asked, sounding surprised at her.

"I'll help—what do you need?"

"You will—good. I need a body, a female human body."

Akio thought about all the people where she was. "I can do that."

"And bring it to the lab."

"Can do." She said brightly. "I'll bring you one."

"Thank you—goodbye." He said as the two hung up and Akio went back to take her seat again.

"You ok?" Marik asked as she sat down.

"Yeah, I just had to take a call."

"Hn, alright…"

They went back to watching the last few people in the showing- Akio paying special attention to some of the models she could use to help Faust—there were many and he hadn't specified the few things he wanted, just that he wanted a girl.

Akio had a good hunch that it would be for Eliza and decided to start picking out women who were close to her likeness that she had seen- spotting a model she knew rather loosely as one of her employees that she would see after the showing.

With a small cough Evadine collapsed in her chair. "Oi- she wants us to work for her and the woman doesn't even contribute to thes showing of these clothing!" She tossed her hand casually- her olive-bronze skin shimmery with the light. "You do not think that Aakio should be up'a there?"

A girl next to her who was being dressed shook her head. "Na, I don' think'a so—she does fine sitting there watching us."

"Evadine?" Akio said, looking at her from her perched spot on a chair behind the tall model.

Evadine turned around, her blonde-gold hair spilling on her skin. "Oh! Aakio- you caught me off guard!"

With a small smile Akio nodded. "Are you feeling any better- I'm surprised that you actually came to this showing—I thought you were sick?"

With a cought and a small pound on her collar she looked at her and smiled. "Oh…Oh yes—De docter says I shouldn't be here but I think that it is a good thing?"

"Hn, I'm glad you decided to come out—you did well with my clothing today—promoted a lot of dresses that I had designed special—thank you."

"Like'a murder—" she said with her thick Greek accent. "To be working like'a this! I should be home," with another cough- Akio didn't know if it was real or not- she stood up and looked down at her small promoter. "I thinks that I shall go home…if that is not a problem—do you need me for anything else?"

"Actually, I do, would you please come with me?"

Akio's stomach plummeted, feeing as if it was going to hit the floor as she led Evadine away from everyone, smiling pleasantly. "Do you really feel that sick, because, I shall let you go if you wish."

"Let me go as 'fire'?"

"No, as in, you don't need to work for me tonight."

"Oh, -- will I still be paid—I mean…for sickness?"

Akio nodded. "For sure you shall be paid something."

With a smile and another cough Evadine nodded. "I feel so sick, Aakio—Thank you."

"Then I shouldn't make you sicker." With a quick motion Akio sprung her move out- Shii springing lively from her pocket and attacking the model as Akio forced the cat to grow larger- mauling her. She turned away as Evadine screamed- her screams falling silent as Shii pushed her head against Akio's hand.

Akio scratched her skull and then shrunk the cat and turned around to see what it had done, she paled slightly and pulled out something to hide her in before making Shii and letting the cat pick it up and carry it.

"Alright, I'm ready…" Akio said as she met back up with Marik. "My showing is over- we can go home." She smiled and put her backpack onto Shii as well. "We can go back…"


	2. Faust, Cars, Scissors

This is for you MilkChanchan- If any of you are offended….um…sorry? Its not supposed to appease ALLL of this world.

Akio walked down the cobbled roadways of Germany to the old lab. Inside she could hear yells of angry words coming from inside the locked bathroom. "Meine Hände sind nicht Schere!" She could hear someone screaming (my hands are not scissors – german)

"Hello?"

The door shot open and a man with frazzled blonde hair hanging into his bloodstained face looked out. "Akio?"

She paused, confused. "Yes…."

"My hands…" He held out his hands, which were knifelike and somehow disturbing to her.

She paled slightly, used to blood but not the human contraption before her. "I…see…"

He laughed then fumbled around on himself, obviously looking for something with his spindly, metal fingers. "Can not find it-!"

"Find what?"

He let out a small, girlish chuckle and produced a syringe from his coat, threading a blade through the end and injecting himself. The giggling chuckle continued as he bolted down the stairs.

Akio walked to the window and looked out as a car drove by, honking wildly and trying to swerve in the narrow roads.

"I-AM-SCISSOR—"

"GET OUT OF THE ROAD!" The driver yelled, fuming.

"HAHAHAHAHAH!"

There was a smack and the sound of exhaust leaking through the car as Faust was propelled up the hood of the car and back over the end of it. Akio watched and the driver said some more than unfavorable things in German before speeding away. Walking outside she saw the man lying face down on the road.

Frankensteiny, very much scratched somehow all over, ran over to his master and nudged his head- rolling it nowhere as it looked intently at the ground.

"I wanted to be a master…an artist…" He moaned half happy- half delusional into the ground.

"Was?" Akio asked, looking down at him.

"My hands….haaands…." He lay his head sideways to look UP at her, something he normally never did. "Bushes…..Bushes akio….that is….the secret….to…" he let out a small gasp and put his face back down on the road.

Frankensteiny barked and akio studied the marks on him, finding they were scissor marks- in an attempt to cut the dogs hair that it did not have.

Faust passed out on the ground, probably overdosed, probably because he had been hit by a car and propelled through the air into the ground. No one was really sure which one it was. But the necromancer who wanted to be a bush/hair master somehow died.

The end.


	3. Feelings

This is chapter two. I don't own SK- please, I suggest you read the chapter before this- chapter two! GAHAHAHA!

--CHAPTER 2—

"Can you help me with this-" Akio unlocked the door to the lab. "BlAZE! We're home!"

"Out here," Blaze said from his spot outside the door a ways. "I didn't want to stay in that place.."

With a quizzical look she went inside- followed by the pony sized Shii and Marik.

"Help me put this on the table," Akio said, grabbing one end of the large bag and pulling it off Shii. "Kudasai—Marik, Blaze?"

Marik grabbed an end and helped hoist the large bag on the table and then looked at it. "What is it?"

Akio was scribbling something down on a piece of paper and then taped it to the bag. "It's something Faust wanted me to get him."

"You got Faust a present but not me?" Blaze asked, looking at her. "What did you get him, it looks big enough."

"I didn't get it from him as a gift like that—I got it for him because I happened to be in Italy and he's still up here in Germany."

"Who's still in Germany?" Marik asked, walking to the door.

"Faust," Akio said, looking at him then Blaze. "And He wanted me to get him that because I could so I did," Shii shrunk greatly and then hopped up on the table, curling up on top of the bag as Akio shivered.

Mentally she wanted to yell at the cat to get off the corpse. "So I brought him what I wanted."

Blaze looked at her suspiciously before leaving the lab again- Blaze did not like the lab.

Akio smiled at Marik. "Thanks for your help Marik…Thanks for not saying anything."

"No problem, I'm used to those kind of things."

"Faust wants me to help him with a project he's been working on for quiet some time—and he wanted me to get him this girl,"

"Just a girl?"

Akio nodded.

Marik paused. "Just some generic, female corpse?"

Again, Akio nodded, showing how simple the matter seemed to her. "It is, and that's all he needs." She pulled her phone out of her pocked and called him as she turned away slightly. "Faust? I have it—yes—here—human, full human like you wanted—uh-huh—I can…I'll try…." She laughed. "Alright—yeah— It'll be here—bye." She hung up the phone then turned slowly to Marik before smiling again and picking Shii up like a teddy bear.

"I guess I'll be going home now, Thank you for taking me to Italy."

"Oh, it's not problem- thank you for coming with me and thank you for helping me with dead person over here." She smiled softly as Marik nodded.

"Anytime, I don't mind."

He left and Akio sat down, looking at Blaze as he curled up outside the door and went to sleep. "Blaze?" She asked- he did not reply but only slept on. "Blaze are you going to answer me?" she nudged him in the shoulder before sighing and going back in the lab. "I guess he's going to get some sleep then," she told Shii, setting the cat down on the floor and going upstairs. "I guess he's going to sleep for a long time."

Shii meowed and followed Akio down the hall. "I'm supposed to get some book out and start reading them now, since he told me I'd be needing them." She went to a closet and looked at a large stack of books and notebooks. "Wow, I have a lot to start with," Taking one off the shelf she opened it and looked inside- it didn't look like it had been used in a long time and she had to squint for a moment to be able to recognize the writing as small, German handwriting. "Oh wow." She said quietly, leafing through the book. "I have a lot to work on." She grabbed a stack of them and went to the bed room, setting them at the foot of the bed and picking one up to read. "I guess I have awhile to read these…" She said quietly to Shii, who had jumped up on the bed and was curled up at her side. "I don't think that Faust is expecting me to read them all now."

After awhile of not understanding _Magen _from _Montag _she set the book down and went to the lab to see if she could experiment with anything that could help her more than the necromancy books.

"You think I should do anything Shii?" Akio asked, smiling at the cat. "Anything I should practice on?"

The cat rubbed her head against the drawers and purred and Akio took out a needle from a drawer to look at it- sitting down on a chair. "I wonder what this does…"

She laughed to herself because she knew very well what it did but had never known how much was good or not- she had never had any medical training except that of her own workmanship and even that was not good enough. Through trial she pricked her arm and injected a small amount in, sitting there, waiting to see what happened to her. After a few minutes she injected more and more from the syringe to suddenly feel most, if not all pain leave her body. "So…that's how much a person like me needs…" she looked groggily at the numbers on the syringe. "People bigger than me need more…" she put the needle and syringe in the sink before standing up slowly, her head spinning, and going back up the stairs- that stuff went strait to your head and she couldn't feel much anymore.

Blaze yawned. "Sooo sleepy," He stretched an arm above his head as Akio walked outside, rubbing above her temples and smiling.

"Morning." She said slowly.

"Did you sleep lastnight?" Blaze yawned, looking at her.

"No, I was up very late last night reading—trying to read." She pulled a small dictionary from her pocket. "I went out last night and got a phrase book."

"There were people out that late?" He shut one of his eyes halfway as he looked at her. "Why were you up that late?"

"I was reading…" She smiled gently and rubbed the side of her head.

"Those _Necromancy_ books?" He asked slowly, looking at her suspiciously with his tired eyes. "Why were you reading those?"

Akio didn't reply. "You look tired."

"I am tired."

"Are you going to go to sleep?"

"Yes, I'm going to go to sleep."

She laughed- Blaze didn't need to sleep yet he chose to do so anyway- and she thought that was slightly funny. "If you go to sleep I'll wake you up when something important happens."

With a yawn he closed his eyes. "I'm not tired, I wont go to sleep."

"Ich werde heute gehen Verkaufssachen," Akio said with a yawn. "I'll come back in awhile after I sell some things?"

Blaze nodded sleepily before he closed his eyes. Akio took her coat off from around her waist and hung it up in the lab before going outside- she hadn't been outside in Germany for a long time and was beginning to grow very fond of the city.

"I think it's perfect."

With a small jump Akio turned around to see a tall, blonde man looking at the corpse that was on the table. "Oh, Faust, I didn't know you were here."

He looked up with his bright blue eyes at her. "I told you I'd come and see the body, didn't I?"

She nodded; she hadn't seen Faust in a very long time- only corresponded with him several times through phone and e-mails. "You did, I just wasn't expecting you…" she gestured over her shoulder. "I was, out—selling things—I needed to earn some money."

"Oh," he went back to looking at the body and Akio couldn't help but look at him. He was very tall, like her 'brother' Seto Kaiba- though he had a more overly obsessed look to him than her brother had. "Well, I like it, thank you- it will work perfectly."

Again she nodded silently. "I'm very glad."

"Where did it come from?"

"Italy… I was just down there and I had someone pick it up for me."

"Someone?"

"I.J.J…" Akio said quietly. "My secret service, I have one—they picked this girl up."

"Good," He smiled again. "Do you know how she died- if she was sick, things like that?" He looked at the body. "I supposed I will need to perform a biopsy."

"Then you should start with that." Akio said, smiling up at the very tall man. "I'll make sure you do."

He chuckled (HA, he chuckles and horo giggles) "Alright…"

She watched him measure the woman; she normally was very quiet and liked watching people do things so she could learn what to do. He looked at her again and then went back to measuring. "Why are you watching me..?"

"I'm just curious about this…" she smiled. "Do your biopsy."

"Have you read the books?"

"Some of them, yes, but they're in German."

"Oh, I forgot about that."

Mentally Akio blushed as she smiled. "It's fine, I got a dictionary."

"German can be hard to translate- maybe I should do it."

"I really don't want to cause you any problems…I'll be fine…"

"No, just hand me a book?"

Akio got up and went upstairs to where she had been studying the books and brought one of them back, handing it to him. He took it and a blank notebook and hurriedly scribbled into it. Akio felt her temperature rise and she blushed, sitting down.

"Are you ok?" He asked, turning a page in the books.

"Y-yes, I'm fine." She smiled.

"Are you hiding something from me?"

"No…"

"I can take the body somewhere else, if it bothers you." He stood up and Akio regretted her decision not to act.

"It's not you, it's just…It's me…what I'm going through right now."

"Hm…" He said, walking to the door. "Regardless, I think I shall go out for awhile, a walk or something…"

She nodded and let him leave, sitting in the lab. After a moment of hesitation she stood up and ran outside. "Faust!"

"Yes?" He stopped and turned around, waiting until Akio had caught up with him. "What is it?"

"I just have something to say." She said quietly. "That's why I was acting a little strange back in the lab."

"And what is that?"

"I…I…."

He waited. "You…?"

"I just…"

"I already understand that part…" He smiled. "Go on.."

Her voice shrunk and Akio felt like shrinking too. "I think I like you."

"Well, I like you too, you're a nice person."

"I don't like you like that, I like you like you."

"…like me like me…?"

"I really like you."

He shook his head, confused. "I don't understand what you're talking about."

"I don't know." Akio said slowly, not exactly sure of the feelings she had for him. "Maybe I don't know."

"You should go see Blaze." He paused. "Even though he is a dЃЭЖ…"

"I can't, he's asleep."

"Asleep?"

"He decided to go to sleep…"

"Then wake him up."

"I can," Akio looked back at the house. "I can't wake him up because he's asleep and he wont wake up."

Faust murmured under his breath silently for a minute. "I have to keep walking."

Akio nodded silently. "Alright, I'll let you walk."

He made a slightly muffled noise before he kept walking, Akio watching him walk. Silence overtook her and bothered her in her mind slightly. "Stop," She chased after him and caught up with him. "Let me keep talking…?"

"About what?"

"I'm trying to make this easier for you to understand, I know you don't understand what I mean."

He waited patiently. "Yes…?"

"Come down to my level please, eye level…?"

"Alright," He said slowly, crouching down to her eye level.

"I feel…like this…towards you…" She kissed him quickly then backed up a few feet. "Do you understand."

He straitened up. "Yes, I understand now."

She bit her lip. "Alright, just…so you understand…" guilt ate at her. "I'm sorry, I'll let you go on with you walk—I wont interrupt again."

"I don't mind."

She nodded slowly. "I'll let you go, I…I still have a lot of reading to get through…" With a weak smile she went back to the house to look through the books she was to learn how to read.


	4. Dr's orders

Disclaimer: I guess I have to remind you that I do not own Shaman king Sorry. And you Faust fans, I know I'm not alone, and I do not hate Eliza. please do not flame, I haven't flamed any of you guys Enjoy. Oh…and there's some…stuff in this one towards the end that if you do not enjoy, please do not read- it does not get bad however. I have limits to what I will and will ont write.

--CHAPTER THREE—

It had been weeks since she had finally decided she had feelings for him. Akio had told him about it and had explained slightly deeper her emotions for Faust- and he had said a few things to her that had made her think a lot. He had convinced her to go to counseling with her husband Blaze Osias.

Sachi had died, many of her friends had started dying and akio new in her heart that she would never be allowed to join them- at over eighty years her life had no intention of slowing down at all. In a confused, and as she explained to Shii- desperate- attempt she had gone to Sachi and requested that her over soul kill her, and he did.

"What do I do…" She whispered, her hand pinned to the floor with a shiny scalpel. "What do I do Sachi."

"Ask the devil, that's what I did.." Her eerie voice, that of her nirvana said. It gestured to the devil that sat in the room and with a small, scared look Akio went to speak to him.

He sucked her soul out and got rid of the body in a matter of seconds, sending it far away.

Sachi made a few screaming noises and Akio looked at her, confused. "What does that mean, Sachi?"

"It means you're a nirvana like me."

Akio smiled, though she felt like it was a mistake at the moment, her smile slipped and she looked at sachi. "Now no one is going to go.."

She, Sachi, Blaze, Seto and Irian had planned to go to dinner but they had decided against it because they weren't sure how everyone would react. Now, with Sachi and Akio dead, no one was going to go with the other family, unless Shii decided to go.

Sachi brought Akio back to life and they stood in her kitchen for awhile- pretending none of that had happened before Akio went back, surged with a slightly uncontrollable energy.

After bounding into the lab she saw her cat and picked her up, stroking her quickly. "Hey Shii," she smiled at the cat.

The door opened and she saw Faust. "Oh, Hello Akio.."

She smiled, glad to see him. "Hey,"

"I brought our guest-"

Akio looked around, confused and feeling her energy peak. "Who, where, I can't see them."

Faust opened the door a little more to show Eliza. "This is my wife Eliza."

"Oh, hey," She smiled wide at Eliza, very glad to meet her. "How are you my name is akio and I live in this lab too and I have a cat and…" she rambled on for a moment in confusion- not sure how to get over her hyper spell.

"Maybe you should sit down…" Faust advised, nodding to Eliza and moving her over to a chair- Akio made another long string of comments on where Eliza was going and why and then looked at Faust. "Calm down…"

Eliza came back and Faust told Akio to keep still as she injected Akio with something. "What was that?"

"Morphine."

"Oh," She nodded furiously and looked at her arm, at the place where the morphine had gone in.

"You'll calm down a little sooner…" He looked at her and she looked around wildly, very close to feeling as though she was going to explode. "Is there anything I can do to help you?"

She looked at him. "No, I don't think so.."

"Maybe you should go running or something like that…or I could give you more morphine."

Akio thought which would be better then decided she would go running and stood up- darting outside to run.

Shii walked over to the door and thought about going out before giving up. Faust petted her head. "No one can keep up with her, it's ok." He picked the cat up and went to sit down, stroking her. The cat nuzzled his hand and he sighed. "Could you tell me about your master?"

The cat meowed, looking up at him.

"I'm afraid I'm just as lost as you, Shii…" he scratched under her jaw and Shii purred. "You're very easy to please."

For the first time, Shii spoke. "Nope." Shii had never spoken to anyone before and hadn't the intention of speaking.

Faust continued to pet her and looked at the door- Shii looked at him and then followed his gaze to the door. "Do you want your master to return?"

"She will, eventually- why?"

"You were looking at the door."

"So were you," Shii pointed out. "She'll come back- I'm not worried."

"Good…So…Are you sure you can't tell me anything?"

Being caught slightly off guard Shii paused, thinking. "What do you mean?"

"...Never mind..."

Shii didn't understand what he meant by all of that and gave up trying to pry it out of him until later that night when they went shopping for some chocolate.

"BOO!" Akio screamed playfully, grabbing Faust's shoulder. Shii jumped up in the air and hissed.

"What are you doing?"

Akio looked at Faust. "You're not easily scared, are you?"

"No…I'm not…" he stood up as Akio picked up Shii and hugged her, glad to be back with the group. "Well, it was nice seeing you again."

"Yeah…" Akio said, really confused and hurt that he was leaving after only a moment. She stroked Shii and Shii looked up at the sky.

"Goodbye." Faust said as he walked away.

"You're being a wimp Faust…" Shii said as Faust walked away.

She scrambled out of Akio's arms and followed after him, not wanting to be alone with Akio at the moment- sometimes she was scary by herself.

"Where are you going?"

"Somewhere…" He said, walking away with Shii.

Akio sat down on the bench after the two left, her energy was worn out and she leaned on her hands, looking at the ground. "I really don't know what I'm going to do," She told herself. "I'm not sure what to do…I mean…" she sighed sadly- that hurt. She wasn't sure what she was feeling but it was hurting her everytime she didn't say what was on her mind…whatever it was.

She decided, after a moment, to sit up and look at it from a professional position. Though, talking to herself seemed like a weird way to do it. "So…How do I feel?" she thought for a moment: Joy, loss, she felt kinda small, she felt a little alone and missed being with Shii and Faust, she felt tired from running, she was hungry and she felt a little stiff, like her stomach was pounding in her hips. "Uh… I feel…kinda normal…" She decided, closing her eyes and sticking her hands in her pockets.

"Now what…How else do I feel?" She frowned, her eyes still shut "I feel like someone kicked me- that's not fun…" her eyes opened and she looked at the sky. "So I feel like a mixed up mind that's been kicked…What does that mean…?" She sighed and stood up, going down the street and slowly kicking at the road- she'd figure it out someday.

"I guess I get to go shopping now…" she told herself, walking into a small store and looking around at some of the things- a bookstore. She picked up a book and gently stroked the spine, sitting down and opening to a page in the middle. She ran her fingers along the middle binding and smelled the strong smell of ink before smiling softly and reading- this would be a good place for awhile to stay…at least until she figured out how she felt inside.

She read about the characters in the book, she'd guessed it was a historical book of some sorts. Glancing at the fancy writing and elaborate phrases, she wished she could talk like that sometimes…wished that she could be like them, live their lives. Real life wasn't like that, real life never really worked out forever. Sometimes, things would work for a moment- like a bird soaring on the breeze and then it would change like the currents- the bird would still fly, just a different way than it planned.

Spontaneously she stood up and put the book down- done reading for the time being. Akio walked to the counter and picked up a small book on happiness and a sucker and paid for them- putting the sucker in her mouth and opening the book as she walked outside. "_Love is the choice to open one's arms to life, enabling one to embrace imperfection. From it flow empathy, compassion, generosity, and acceptance. The opposite of love is fear._ _Because inner peace or harmony is never perfect, happiness is never achieved, and is always a question of more or less._ _The inner and outer worlds are mirrors. How one shapes one's inner world through will shapes one's perception of the outer world. Thus an unhappy person is likely to perceive a world of lust, greed, and lies, whereas a happy one is likely to perceive a world of people struggling in the grip of love_.." she read aloud to herself as she walked down the streets- looking in the book and trying to figure out what happiness was. Because she had been taught happiness was difference, happiness was giving in to what she 'needed'- she didn't think she knew real emotion at all.

She put her finger in the book and shut it, holding onto her place and taking the sucker out of her mouth. "Maybe I am innocent…It feels like a new life for me, because I'm learning so much. I feel so small…" With a child-like look of sorrow she put the sucker back in her mouth and opened the book again. "Oh well…I'll just hope for that day when I understand everything…" with a bittersweet smile at nothing, she new that would never happened- but went on.

"You're back…" Shii said, looking up from where she was curled up on a chair- sleeping, Akio guessed.

"Yeah… I'm back…"

"HELLLLLLLLLLOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!" Faust called.

"Oh…Hello…You seem happy…"

"I am." He said, smiling.

"Well, that's good…"

"How are you, Akio?" He asked.

She smiled halfheartedly. "I feel pretty good.."

He paused for a moment. "Are you going to see Ms. Williams?"

Ms. Williams was a marriage counselor that Faust wanted Akio and Blaze to go see, though Akio was not sure if she could do it well or not- she had agreed to persuade Blaze to try and see him. "I think I am…Yes…"

"Good." Faust said. "Well, back to the project then…"

He went over to the cadaver and dug into it, taking out a rib and cleaning it off. Akio watched for awhile, overcome by that intense feeling of sadness and being kicked. A feeling she hadn't felt since she had met Ayio for the first time, many, many years ago. "So what are you doing?"

"I'm going to put the soul back in the bone…"

"Just stuff it back in," Was her simple answer, with a small smile.

He smiled back and put the bone in a vial and stuck it by the body. "The first experiment is something like that," He grabbed a book that he was translating and sat down- Akio sat down and watched him translate.

She wasn't sure if he would get nervous, and she didn't want that so she decided to look up at the ceiling. Something she hadn't seen in this house yet.

Faust looked up from where he was writing. "What are you looking at?"

"I've never seen the ceiling since I've been here." Akio said, still looking up.

He smiled at her.

"So I decided I'd look up and see it…" She broke off, not wanting to look at him. When she looked at him she got that sad feeling in her stomach and she wasn't sure she wanted that.

Faust made a noise and she looked, almost out of habit at him. "What's wrong?"

"You're so innocent…"

At that Akio wanted to cry, she felt her heart break at the thought of every reason she wasn't innocent. She laughed softly to keep herself from bursting into tears. She saw him look back at his books and looked at him gently before looking back at the ceiling.

"How can you act that way…"

"What way?"

"After all the pain…"

She looked at him. "I have to…" She thought of how pain was always here, how things were sometimes unavoidable and that she needed to learn how to deal with them as they came.

"Oh…"

"I'll be fine with it."

Akio looked at a needle in the drawer. She had never enjoyed Faust's addiction to the drug, though she was not sure why because it didn't do anything wrong to him. She shut the drawer and continued her search in the lab for the drug- insisting to herself that she wanted to burn it all away.

"What are you looking for, Akio?" Faust asked, looking in the lab.

"Uh," She turned around. "Nothing," She smiled.

"Hn?"

"Where is your morphine?" She cracked, and knew it. "I kinda want to take it away from you."

He paused. "I'm afraid I can't tell you where it is, you don't need it."

Akio sighed inside but smiled. "You don't either…and I'm not going to use it, I'm just going to take it away from you."

"I'm sorry but you can't do that." He looked at her. "It's mine to use how I want to."

She held herself from wanting to throddle his neck and stood there, smiling- then laughing. "It's just bad for you Faust! There are many things I could do that are bad that I don't do."

"I don't mind."

_Don't mind what! _Akio thought to herself. _That I can do bad things or that I do things or that the morphine is bad?_ "What?"

"I don't mind that it's bad."

"Oh, I know you don't."

"Then you shouldn't try to fix it, because it really wont work."

_But I want it to work…I don't want you to be addicted to it…Addiction only brings you chains…_"I bet I could, fix it."

"No, I don't think you could."

"Why not!"

"Because it's hidden, and you're not a shaman so you couldn't get it anyway."

Akio looked at him with a slightly sarcastic look. "No fair."

He laughed. "Oh, it's fair."

"Well…I don't think It's fair- you should really give it up!"

"But I like it, you shouldn't take it away from me."

She looked at him sadly and gave up slightly.

"…Why are you sad…?"

"Because it's bad." She repeated softly.

"It's alright."

She sighed again and Faust looked at her, she bit her lip as she had started to do for a few months- to try and keep herself from showing emotions on her mind.

"What is it?" he asked.

"It's just concerning to me."

"That I use the morphine?"

She nodded.

"You shouldn't' worry about it."

"I can't help it, I'm always going to worry about it," She insisted.

"Then I'll try and stop using it…"

"Thank you," she said- relieved. "Thank you, Faust."

"Does that make you feel better?"

"Yes, much better."

"That's good." He said.

She looked at him, trying to hide how she felt. "You know this means a lot to me…You trying to stop…"

She had had problems before that people had tried to get her off, they had hated them and she had always enjoyed them- not really caring how people felt for a long time…not until it hurt them. Then she would try to stop, but only until she saw that. She didn't want to wait until Faust's morphine did that- she wanted him to stop as soon as he could.

He smiled at her. "Well good, because it's going to be hard."

She looked at him and smiled, her sad feelings melting away. "I'll be right here to cheer you on." She had never had a support group to get over her problems, they had forced her, and that had been even harder. If cheering Faust on would help him, she would cheer him on like that's all she was made to do. He laughed and she felt much better.

"Alright."

"Thank you," she softened. "Thank you so much for this Faust."

"You're welcome."

Faust was writing in a notebook, Akio sat down to watch him write- he wrote very fast. "I finished this one," He shut it and handed it to her. She smiled and took it, opening it and reading excitedly- she could read much faster in English than she could in German- though she had started trying to teach herself because she was in Germany at the moment.

She smiled at him, as she always did, because she was happy with him.

"Can you hand me another notebook?"

Akio nodded and got up, getting a blank notebook and handing it before sitting down. He took it and sat down, writing with it as Akio was watching him. She enjoyed watching Faust, doing just about anything. It made her feel good to watch him, because he never objected or said anything rude about it.

He looked up. "What is it?"

She blinked, taken unaware at how long she had been looking at him. "Oh… It's nothing, I'm just…watching you write."

"It's not really that interesting…"

Akio disagreed but smiled. "It gives me something to do."

"If you need something to do, you can go get me some chocolate- it's over there on the counter." He pointed over to a counter and Akio followed his arm to where it was pointing.

She stood up and went to go get it, handing it to him. "There you go."

"Thank you," He took it and Akio's mind went backwards in rapid succession.

"Faust, are you mad?" She sat down and looked at him gently.

He ate some chocolate and looked at his book before he took in what she had said, then he looked up. "What?"

Akio suddenly felt very stupid for asking the question. "I'm trying to figure something out."

"How do I seem angry?"

"I just…I just wanted to know if you use morphine as a catharsis…" she bit her lip. "No, you don't seem angry, I was just wondering."

"Sometimes," He said, going back to his writing.

"Oh…" Akio said quietly, looking at the floor for a second. At least using a catharsis was better than using it for no reason, but she felt bad about bringing it up again.

"Ich verwende es meistens, um meine Gefühle für Sie, Akio zu beschäftigen" He said, before scribbling quickly in the notebook.

Akio thought very hard, trying to pry every piece of German she was learning to put the puzzle of words together- it frustrated her she didn't think hard enough to come up with the answer. She watched him for body language that could help her before it clicked in her head- she blinked.

He scribbled in the notebook and Akio blushed.

"What is it?" He asked, seeing her blush.

"I …understood that." She smiled inside at it but didn't show- she was also pleased she understood what he had said.

"I'm sorry,"

"You really don't have anything to be sorry for." She felt like giggling like a schoolgirl, something she hadn't done in a long time. She hadn't had anyone talk about her for a long time, only lately people close to her had been talking about her, and it was all very bad. _Does he really use it for that?_ She asked herself.

Faust paused. "…alright…"

She smiled softly at him, very happy. "Good…"

Faust got that look that he was embarrassed and went back to writing really fast. Akio's mind thought very hard- she was very happy.

"Hey, I really don't like distracting you from your writing, but, you're really don't a lot for me lately…"

"Oh, it's not a problem."

She smiled. "Can…I give you a quick hug as thanks?"

Faust smiled, still flustered. "Sure."

She got up and hugged him, smiling. "Thank you."

"You're welcome, Akio."

He looked at her before he went back to writing the books. Akio went back to watching him, her interest diverted from that of just having something to do. He tried to write in the book and not get distracted and Akio tried really hard to not distract him.

He grabbed some chocolate and she locked her eyes on him, just watching him do everything. She looked at the bag of chocolate. "Hn, What is it?" he asked.

She smiled. "I'm just looking at things." After a moment she continued. "Is that a problem?"

"No,"

"That's good." She smiled, feeling slightly stupid.

"You're very confusing Akio."

"So are you…"

"Oh, I didn't think I was."

"To me you are."

He looked at her. "How's that?"

She smiled weakly. "Oh…you just are…"

After another moment of silence she quieted. "You are very lucky, you know?"

"How is that?" He asked.

She made a sad noise in her throat. "Mindestens Sie haben eine Weise, Ihre Gefühle zu beschäftigen..." She had no way of dealing with her feelings for him, if she did- she'd have a whole swarm of people after her for it- she didn't want to mess up them, she didn't want to mess up Faust or his life either.

"You don't?"

"No, I don't have a way."

"We'll find you a way then,"

She laughed softly, thinking that she might not ever get a way to show her feelings. "Really?"

"Yeah- what do you feel like doing."

Akio's stomach dropped. "Bad things."

"Bad things like what?"

"Bad things that to me feel very good."

"Are you going to tell me?" He asked.

"Do you remember when I kissed you?"

"Yes,"

"That kind of thing, which is bad."

"ich realy kümmerte mich nicht, Akio." He said, going back to writing in the notebook.

"R-really?" she asked.

He smiled and she smiled back before he grabbed some chocolate.

"Sie würden nicht sich kümmern, um wenn ich es wiederholte?" She felt really nervous about asking him, she wasn't sure what he'd say or do.

"I wouldn't mind."

Her heart beat quickly and she smiled. "O-ok." She got up and went to go sit by him.

"I haven't even finished one page,"

"I know…"

"You're very distracting."

"So are you," She said softly, looking at him.

"I am?"

"You are."

"But you're not the one who has to translate all of these books." He went back to writing quickly and Akio sat there, thinking very hard and working up enough of her courage to either kill all the bishouji bubbles or to just get up and go away. She decided she'd just kill the little bubbles- she could deal with them for a little bit.

She hesitated. "D-da Sie sich nicht kümmern.." She touched his face and turned it to look at her before she leaned forward and kissed him quickly.

He paused. "... gaben Sie mir eine Wahrscheinlichkeit nicht, Sie zurück zu küssen."

Akio's was very, very happy that she had done that to him. She was slightly annoyed at the fact that she had done it though, because she knew that she shouldn't have.

"Ich kümmere mich nicht." She said, smiling.

"You don't?" he asked.

"No, I don't." She looked at him softly, hoping that he would kiss her back.

"... kann ich küsse Sie?" he asked.

She nodded to him and he grabbed her shoulders, kissing her. She made a noise, fighting herself from doing it back to him. He pulled away. "I'm sorry…"

"I don't mind, I liked it." She said quietly.

"You…do?"

She nodded. "Yes."

He gave her a flustered smile and she blushed slightly-she never really blushed but couldn't help it. He went back to writing in his book- he wrote very fast.

"Thank you…for letting me show my feelings…"

"It's not a problem."

Slightly stunned by the fact that he didn't mind Akio faultered. "Ok…" she had never had people really tell her that it wasn't a problem.

"Would you … excuse me for a moment?" He looked at her.

"Yes,"

He stood up and left the room, Akio wasn't sure where he was going. He came back after a moment and sat down in his chair- gone for barely a minute. He sighed.

"Are you ok?"

"Yes, I am now."

"What did you do…?"

"Nothing."

Akio thought very hard. "Faust, did you do what I thought you did…?"

He grabbed a pen and went back to writing. "It really depends on what you thought I did."

"Did you use morphine?" she hid the disappointment in her voice.

Faust didn't answer and went back to writing in the notebook.

"Faust…." Akio tried again. He was silent and wrote quickly, translating from German to English. "You really need a better outlet…"

"But this one is working,"

"You know I am always here to help you?" she said quietly.

"Thank you..."

"I'll be fine." He said slowly.

If you insist, I wont try to discourage it again." She said, feeling as though she was giving up on the whole morphine problem entirely.

"To discourage the morphine?"

"Yes."

"You know, you really drive me crazy Akio."

"I'm sorry I do that to you…"

"It's fine," He admitted. "I'll deal with it."

She looked at him. "You know I'll help you if I can."

"I don't know if you can."

Akio- who was used to being able to help everyone, persisted. "I can."

"How?"

"How do you want me to help you."

"I'm not sure…" Faust though.

"I'll help you in any way I can."

He went silent for a moment. "Die einzigen Weisen, die Sie mir helfen konnten, sind völlig unapropriate."

"Oh…I'll help you- let me help you Faust."

"Nein," He said, visibly flustered.

Akio looked at him intently. "Please,"

"Don't do that."

She dropped her eyes to the floor and didn't look at him.

"I just don't want you to get hurt." He said.

"You wont hurt me!"

"I will." He looked at the book in his lap. "I have no peace anymore."

"I'm so sorry…" He looked at him, strangled, before hugging him. "I don't want to cause you pain…"

"Thank you, Akio…" he smiled at her. "Just…figure things out with Blaze, I know this is probably just because you are mad at him."

Akio bit her lip, he was wrong, but she never felt like telling that to him- she didn't want to cause him any pain. "I'll try…" She sighed.

"Just keep trying, things will work out."

She sighed. "Yeah…"

"You don't think so?"

"Sometimes, I don't." She said softly.

"You just need to have hope that it will."

Akio went silent, thinking to herself about hope and what hope was- she was sure she had read about hope in her little happiness book.

"What is it?" Faust asked when she had stopped talking.

"'Just as despair can come to one only from other human beings, hope, too, can be given to one only by other human beings...'" she quoted softly. "…Hope…"

Faust looked at her in a pained way- a way Akio knew she should probably not ask about. "You need Blaze, to have hope…everything will be fine for you two."

"What about you?"

"I am fine."

"Ich verursache Ihnen die Schmerz.." She said sadly.

"You do not cause me pain."

"Good, because… I'm not trying."

"You don't have to try."

She was not sure whether that was a good thing- that she didn't need to try to cause him pain, or a bad thing and nodded gently. "You know…even if you don't care about yourself…I'm still going to care about you…"

"What?"

"Is that…ok…?"

"Bitte nicht."

"Why not?"

"Just don't."

"Then I'm not going to ask you," She looked at him. "I'm just going to do it."

"Please…no…"

"Everyone needs to be taken care of, Faust, everyone."

He didn't look at her. "I don't."

"I wasn't asking you if you did or not, I'm just telling you what I thought."

"Well I'm glad you spoke up."

She let him work for awhile more before looking down at the paper and laughing softly. "I really haven't allowed you to get much work done, have I?"

"No, but it's fine."

Akio stood up. "I'd really better let you get back to working, shouldn't I…"

He looked at her, strangled again. "Yes…"

She paused, noticing the look on his face. "I'll stay if you want."

"Nein."

Akio went upstairs after making sure that he would be ok and shut the door.

Faust took out his morphine and gave himself some and then paced around. After a moment he looked up at the ceiling. "It's really not that interesting…"

Akio came down the stairs. "It's too quiet down there."

"It's not quiet down here."

Akio listened to the outside for a moment before looking around the lab. "No, it's not- so what are you doing?"

"I'm working for the translation on the book—for putting the soul back in the bone."

"Oh yeah," Akio looked at the vial that was by the body- Faust looked too. After a moment Akio started to laugh.

Faust looked over at her. "What is it?"

"I'm not sure, I just felt good for a second." She felt the sensation leave her slightly.

"Why don't you feel good all the time?"

"I'm not really sure…"

"If I can help you, I'll try."

She smiled slightly. "You already have."

"Oh, how so?"

"You were very nice to me awhile ago."

He laughed softly. "I'm sorry I'm not nice all the time, it's kind of hard."

"It's alright." She looked at him and zoned out slightly.

He looked at her. "What is it?"

She looked down quickly. "N-nothing."

"Can you tell me?"

"I don't know if I can, I don't even understand."

He paused. "Oh…"

"I'm sorry…" She went silent, as did Faust. The two stood in silence for a long time, neither of them thinking, neither of them saying a word.

"I'm going shopping." Faust said, walking to the door.

"Fein."

"Are you mad at me?"

She looked at him softly. "I've never been mad at you." She paused. "Ever."

"I'll be back later."

"Have fun."

"I will." He opened the door. "Goodbye Akio."

"Bye.."

"Bitte seien Sie nicht an mir wütend."

"I'm not," Akio said.

Faust sighed, "It doesn't seem that way."

She looked at him gently again. "Well I'm not…"

He smiled uncomfortably and Akio made a small, strangled noise. "What is it?" Faust asked.

"Y-you'd just…better go shopping." She blushed and looked at the floor.

"Please Akio, tell me?"

"I'm just having feelings for you- go."

"You shouldn't have feelings for me."

Deep down, Akio knew that as well. "I know I shouldn't, I just can't help it."

"I'm sorry Akio." He walked out the door. "Goodbye."

Akio watched the door shut and after a moment she whispered. "Bye.."


	5. A life of amnesia

--CHAPTER FOUR—

"I don't want to remember my past." Akio said, looking at Sachi as they stood in the streets.

"We could give you amnesia?"

"I would forget everything." Akio said. "I'd like that." _I would get a way to forget what I have lived through in my old life…_ she thought sadly.

"So, what do you say?"

"To amnesia? Lets do it."

Sachi grabbed her bat and smiled before thwacking Akio in the head. She dropped to the ground, out completely cold.

Sachi dropped down and grabbed her, shaking her. "Akio!"

One of Akio's eyes fluttered open. "hhhhhhhhhhhhhuuuuuuuuuh……………?" she said hazily.

"What is your name!"

Akio looked at her, not knowing how to answer.

"When is your birthday?"

Again, she just blinked and looked at Sachi.

"What is today?" After Akio didn't answer Sachi screamed. "IT WORKED!" she kissed the bat then looked at Akio. "Your name is Muckluck."

In a very small voice Akio asked Sachi who she was.

"You are five years old—oh….And I'm Sachi, queen of France."

"Oh," Akio said in a small voice.

"There is an e-e-evil man out to get you, Muckluck."

"Who…?"

"He has red hair, with a blue streak in the middle- his name is Blaze. Don't talk to him- in fact- if you see him- kill him."

"Why is he after me?" Akio stood up.

"Because he wants to kill you."

In her little innocent mode, Akio looked at Sachi. "Why does he want to kill me…"

"He's a nazi from Germany, and you're the last heir to his throne so you have to not die!" she looked at her earnestly. "He wants your throne man!"

"Am I a nazi heir?"

"No, you're not the nazi, he is! So be careful."

"W-why does he want to kill kids..?"

"Because he's that evil."

Akio looked at Sachi, horrified.

"Oh…and by the way…You're a shaman…and a necromancer…and a moonwalker…and your favorite food is beer…and you drink it 24/7…And you hate boys…all of them…and you've always hated them- especially the tall ones and the short ones" Sachi handed her a pack of beer and Akio in hailed it down.

"Y-yougots anymore!"

Sachi smiled. "Yes."

Akio yanked the cans from her and guzzled them down. "Weeee!"

After a while of making each other horribly drunk they looked around. "Let's go cause havoc!" Sachi said, looking around for something to cause havoc on.

Akio bounded off to go look for something. "Look, I'm a crazy moonwalking shaman!" she smiled then opened her eyes. "BOY!" She screeched, taking off after it.

The boy looked over, unaware at the small drunker chasing after him. "What?"

Sachi watched, approving and clapped. "Yeah."

Akio jumped on the boy and knocked him to the ground. She grabbed his head by the hair and pounded his head into the cement a couple of times before getting up and running off.

Sachi took another beer and downed it as Akio fell over on the ground, making a small, terrified scream.

"When you see Blaze, you kill him." She walked over to Akio and sat down, patting her head.

Akio started to shake, very small shakes throughout her body.

"What's up?" Sachi asked. "You need more beer?"

Akio rubber her stomach. "Ja."

Sachi picked her up. "We should go to your castle."

"I have a castle?"

"Yes, but you need to drink more so we can get there." She handed her another beer.

"Asdalvmeiaoerasf…" Akio mumbled when she had finished.

Sachi pulled her around and put a crown on her head. "There…"

Akio touched it. "alfmaeialmf!" She said, looking rather noble.

"We shall destroy the city! Let me go get the pitchforks!" Sachi ran off.

Akio rubber her stomach, not sure of what the pain was caused by and then collapsed to the ground in pain. Sachi came back.

"I brought the pitchforks," she held out a flower to Akio. "Be careful, they're sharp."

Akio put out a trembling arm to take one and Sachi handed one to her and she moaned painfully. "Ich glaube, wie ich sterbe…"

"What?"

Akio contracted into a ball. "Ich glaube, wie ich sterbe..."

"GAAAAAAH!" Sachi screamed. "Do you want more beer?"

"Ich glaube soviel den Schmerz in meinem Körper.." Akio started to cry.

"WHATS WRONG!"

"wie Säure in meinem Blut"

"I don't understand German!"

Akio cried harder and Sachi started to cry too, not understanding what she was talking about.

"JUST TELL ME!"

She pushed herself up and looked at Sachi weakly. "I…hurt…" She threw up and then went into convulsions.

Sachi grabbed her. "MUCKLUCK!"

Akio looked at her painfully and Sachi got a washcloth and put it on her head. " Ich glaube, wie ich sterben werde." Akio cried.

"Shhh," Sachi said, wiping off Akio's face.

"Ich glaube, wie ich sterben werde! Ich glaube, wie ich sterben werde!" She said painfully before going into convulsions again. Sachi layed Akio down and held her there while she started to scream in pain. After a moment she calmed down. "Ich sterbe.. Ich sterbe.." she whispered, getting quiet.

"You're not going to die." Sachi reassured her.

"Ich sterbe.." She whispered again before Sachi put her out.

"Well, we got her back to the lab." Azura said, dropping one of Akio's arms and letting her fall on the floor with a smack.

Shii came running into the room, meowing.

"Faust!" Sachi called into the lab.

Faust came in. "What is it?"

"Sachi tried to kill Akio." Azura said, looking at Sachi.

"SO!" Sachi retorted.

Faust turned and looked at Sachi darkly and she edged away from him, laughing nervously.

Azura pointed to where Akio was laying. "That is Muckluck the moon walking, beer drinking, five year old heir to Germany."

With a worried look, Faust looked at Akio, kneeling down by her.

"But she only drank a bit!" Sachi said.

"She drank 14 cans." Azura looked at her.

"Hm.." Faust picked Akio up and Sachi, Shii and Azura watched. He turned around and walked upstairs.

"Where's he going…?" Sachi twilghted as the two left the lab.

"I have no idea." Azura said, watching the skeletal cat bound up the stairs after them.

"At least she'll be ok."

Azura walked to the stairs. "What'cha doing?"

There was no answer and she turned to look at Sachi nervously. The two went upstairs and looked in the room. Akio was laying on the bed, Faust was sitting by it, holding her hand.

"Is she going to be ok?" Azura asked.

Faust smiled. "Ja, she just needs rest- when she wakes up she wont feel so great."

"Good."

"Having that much more than normal isn't going to hurt her this time." He glared darkly at Sachi.

Sachi coughed. "Ehehh…heh.."

With a small mutter Akio whispered. "Ich sterbe..."

Faust squeezed her hand. "No, you're going to be fine."

Azura leaned over to Sachi. "Maybe you should hit her again with your baseball bat?"

"Sure," Sachi took it and went over to smack Akio in the head again.

Akio made a small scream and Faust took the bat from Sachi. "Out, Sachi."

"NO!"

He looked at her.

"Fine, you big jerk."

"You want me to come with you Sachi?" Azura asked.

"Yeah."

Shii looked at them from where she was curled up on the bed. "Bai." They said, leaving.

Akio woke up later, clenching onto Faust's hand. "W-where am I…? Sachi…?" She looked over at the hand she was holding and found with a shock that it wasn't the Queen of France's. "Gah- who are you?"

"My name is Faust- Your name is Akio."

"No, my name is Muckluck- I'm the heir to Germany. Are we in Germany, Sir? Cuz if so, I'm you boss."

"We are, but you aren't the heir to Germany. You have amnesia…Let me go get something for you."

Akio looked at his very large hand as he stood up to go get something. He left the room and she looked at Shii, shying away from the skeleton that was purring softly. "Ewww…"

After a moment Faust came back up the stairs, holding a small vial of clear liquid. He put it into Akio's hand and closed her fingers around it. "Drink this and you'll feel better."

She squirmed slightly at his touch, her five-year old- boy hating mentality reeling. "O-ok…" she took some and then rubbed her head before falling back asleep.

"I hope it works," Shii said, waking up as Akio hit the pillow. "I really don't like the five year old version as much as the older one…"

Her dark world twisted painfully and she felt a headache pulse in her mind. What was going on? She had regained enough to know that it might just be an extreme hangover- but it felt like something else somehow, she just wasn't sure what it was.

Akio felt Faust's hand and held onto it tightly, trying to figure out what was wrong with her- was this something besides the hangover? Headache from getting drilled with a bat? Something else? She wasn't sure so she gave up thought- blinking her eyes open slightly.

"Morning…" She said quietly, turning one of her eyes over to she could see Faust. "W-what happened?"

"You got hit with a bat- you had amnesia…You're going to be ok, just go back to sleep."

She nodded weakly, knowing sleep was the best medicine, and closed her eyes. "Alright…I'll go to sleep."

"Good girl." He said as she dropped off, that buzzing sensation in her head- she wasn't sure what was going on with her, but she felt that it wasn't a great thing.

Faust stood up. "I'm leaving." He walked to the door, Akio looked at him, very confused, her head buzzing slightly.

"What do you mean?"

"I'm going with Eliza, we're moving." He said, opening the door up. "We're moving to our other house- not the lab- the other one."

"Oh…" She watched him grab some things.

"What's going on?" Shii asked, jumping up on a table as Akio rubbed her cat's back. "Are you leaving Faust?" Shii sensed the warmth in Akio's icy hands that wasn't there and looked up at her, worried about what they had talked about earlier.

"Yes, I'm leaving." He grabbed his hat and his coat and put them on. "It will be better out there, less distracting."

"Good luck…" Akio said.

"Yeah, have fun out there." Shii looked around the lab. "More lab for us."

Faust looked at her. "Yes, I will have fun- good bye." He walked out and shut the door.

Akio sighed and sat down in a chair. "This means that no one is going to that dinner thing tonight…doesn't it Shii."

"Are you really sure that you want to go to that?" Shii asked, hopping in her lap. "I mean…After…"

"I'll go," Akio said softly, standing up and rubbing her arm. "I think that it'd be good to see people."

"Akio…!" Shii argued, following her upstairs. "This is stupid, don't go."

Akio looked down at the cat. "I'm going, I want to see my family, I want to talk to them!"

"Before you-"

Akio slammed the door in Shii's face and sat down, crying. Shii was right.

With a loud racket everyone piled into the Burger King- taking tables and looking around. They were not much of a talkative bunch, mostly tired and sleepy people not interested in hanging out with people today.

Blaze looked out a window, disinterested in what was going on with everyone and mumbling about why they had woken him up.

Seto, along with Irian, were pressed with time before they would go to France for a meeting and Shii and Sachi seemed the only ones who had anything to say.

After a while a small conversation broke out, everyone started talking, even just nodding. Akio slipped out of the room, blood covered and still not feeling to well, and hid in the bathroom.

Shii watched her leave, not hinting that anything was going on at all before getting grabbed up by Sachi so she wouldn't run to get Faust for Blaze- they were playing the dark secrets game.

Irian looked around for her mom late into the night, she hadn't seen her all evening and looked at Shii, who was laying on the table. "Where's my mom?"

"She's in the bathroom." She stood up and hopped off the table, walking into the bathroom with Irian following her.

"Okasan?" Irian said, opening the bathroom door and looking in, her mother was curled up in a corner, crying. (This was a sad IM conversation! TT.TT) "Okasan- are you ok?"

Akio didn't answer or look at Irian as she buried her head, which was buzzing painfully, in her arms.

"She's not one for answering questions lately.." Shii said from her spot on the sink. "Sorry."

Irian looked at her mother with concern. "What's wrong?"

"N-nothing." Akio said sadly.

"Does she talk to you?" Irian asked Shii.

Shii nodded. "She tells me everything, I'm not sure anyone really understands how much I know."

"What's wrong."

Shii didn't say anything and looked at Akio, who was not looking at anyone.

"Do you want me to go get Dad?" Irian asked.

"No…No…I'm fine…" she said, looking up for the first time since the two had entered the bathroom and wiping her eyes. "I just…don't know what came over me."

"You feeling ok?"

"I feel fine." She said, standing up slowly and taking a calming breath. "I just got overwhelmed… I guess…I'm not sure really."

"Oh…." Irian said.

Shii jumped up on Akio's shoulder and Akio rubbed her jaw. /Thank you Shii…for not telling…/

/It's fine./ The cat said softly as they left the bathroom.

"Lets go, Irian." Seto said, standing up. "We have to be in France."

"Good luck." Akio said softly.

Seto looked at her. "You're up."

"Yes…They just…got me out of my little spell."

"Lets go." Blaze said, getting up and walking out of the restaurant

Akio followed, smiling weakly at everyone as they left and looking up at the sky. "There's no stars tonight, Blaze."

"Are we going back to the lab?" He asked, sticking his hands in his pockets.

Akio paused sadly, looking down from the starless sky. "Oh… yes…" she said softly. "We're going back to the lab."

"Good, because I need sleep." He said, slight frustration on his voice. "I don't see why you made us all come here- it's not like it did anything."

"I wanted to see if it would work, instead of counseling…"

"Pft," He snorted. "I don't see why your trust in me is that thin, Akio—we don't need counseling. We don't even have a problem."

Akio sighed, _She_ had a problem. She had feelings for Faust, she was scared of Blaze. "Oh," She reached a hand, which was getting a little paler and thinner, up to scratch Shii- the hand shook and Shii bit at it slightly, holding it. "I just thought so."

"Well we don't." Blaze said finally. "You just don't trust me."

Shii walked up to Faust later after he had left. She hadn't seen him since he left the house. "Hey…can I ask you a favor Faust?"

"What do you need?" He asked.

"I was wondering if I could come and live with you and your family?"

"I don't see a problem with that."

"I just don't want to live alone, that's very scary." Shii admitted.

"Why would you live alone?"

"Because…Akio…is going to Wales…" Shii said, trying to not give too much away.

"That sounds nice." Faust said.

"Yes, she's always dreamt about going to there…and…very soon…she'll make that dream a reality."

Faust smiled. "That's good."

"Then again, with leaving to go there- she'll also be having a pain to." Shii paused, masking the hint of pain in her voice. "She wanted me to tell you thank you again."

"She doesn't have to tell me thank you."

"She just wanted to, since she probably wont say it to you in person…"

He paused. "Oh…"

"Yes," Shii said, very quietly, sure that he understood what was going on.

"Well, I hope I'll see her again."

From that, Shii understood that Faust had not got it. "Oh… I don't think you will."

"Oh…Is that all you needed?"

"Yes," shii paused and twilighted. "You may see her again though."

"I hope so."

"So you'll be coming," Shii said, looking up at Faust.

"Coming where?"

"To Wales…You'll be coming?"

"No." he said firmly. "But you're welcome to come and stay with my wife and I, Frankensteiny wont give you any trouble."

"We'll just leave your things in the lab- alright?"

"My stuff?"

"The IV…the things you gave her."

Faust paused. "She can leave them in the lab."

Akio had been sick, growing very sick over the course of a few weeks. Her body had become very weak, very frail and thin and very warm. Atsumi had come to visit her and found that she was very ill, verging closer and closer to death, but unable to call for anything.

Atsumi had called Faust, when she could take no more of Akio's pain, to come and see what was wrong. Faust had come, quickly, and given her an IV- telling her to rest until her typhoid subsided.

Now, after that, Faust had been reassured that it was nothing- that the typhoid had passed and she would live on again as her cured, back to normal self again.

"She also wants me to tell you goodbye."

"I say goodbye as well," Faust said, smiling down at Shii.

Shii winced, knowing full well what was about to happen with everyone after the illness claimed Akio's body. "I'll tell her that before she goes…"

"That's good, I hope she has a fun time."

A small knot formed in Shii's stomach-less stomach. "Oh…I don't know…she may…"

"I really must go, goodbye." Faust said, leaving.

(Part one of chapter 4- its 17 pages, I'll break it up )


	6. Tod und Träume

Disclaimer again: Oh joy, more of this stuff? I know you're just oodling over it…just kidding…oo I'm actually surprised if anyone makes it this far! This chapter has some stuff in it as well, little bit o' kissin' towards the end. This is part 2 of chapter 4

Shii walked home, looking around for something to distract her mind—not exactly her mind, the mind of someone who lay at home, dying. Akio had always told Shii everything, things that no one else knew- things that no one else needed to know. Shii had been the first to know that Akio had a.i.d.s- she was the only one who knew that right now she had contracted scarlet fever and that no one was to know. She had been told where Akio wanted to die, her childhood memories, dreams, wishes, secret hopes- everything.

"Atsumi?" Shii saw Atsumi walking along the streets.

"Hey!" Atsumi said, turning around to look at Shii. "How are you?"

"I'm…good…Hey, you wanna come with me for the last few minutes of…Akio?"

Atsumi had known Akio was very sick. She, Faust, Shii and Akio had known- because Akio had been to scared to tell her family. "Oh…yeah…I guess…"

The two walked silently back to the lab and went upstairs. Shii hopped up on the bed and curled up next to Akio, going to sleep. Atsumi sat down on a chair and watched- both of them not wanting to wake Akio up from what they hoped was a peaceful sleep

"This is so sad…" Atsumi said quietly, watching Akio's raspy breathing quicken and then slow down. "I don't want to watch."

"She needs someone here, Atsumi—no one comes anymore…she wants someone here with her for the last little bit."

Atsumi's eyes went slightly glossy as she held back her tears, she had cried before when Akio had been awake—and she knew she would probably cry after too. "Are we going to wake her up?"

"No…" Shii lay her head on Akio's rough stomach. "She'll wake up in a little bit- her pain medicine is almost out…just…wait…"

Akio lay there, eyes closed, thinking. It had been awhile since she had seen anyone, last person she remembered was Atsumi. She thought of everything that had happened in her life, everything that flashed before her as she died- her thoughts were extremely vivid and the buzzing was almost unceasing.

With a small noise she opened her dry eyes- blue rims duller than they had ever been as she looked at her frail body. She had never looked this way in her life. The skin that normally had a healthy, clear glow and shone pale white was red and rough, like sandpaper, with black creases in her arms and wrists. Her eyes, normally bright with life and happiness, were dull blue- shallow- glazed, as if staring into the unseen world beyond with fixation. Where normally she had soft skin it was hard, rough, showing the bones that poked through her small, sixty pounds – she had guessed – body.

Shii, her only non-judging companion at the time, stood up from where she was laying at Akio's side and nudged her arm. "Akio, I'm going out for a moment, will you be ok without me?"

In a small, wheezing noise she nodded to the cat- sweat glistening on her face. "…g-go…"

She stood up, looking at her with the dark ebony holes in her ivory face before she hopped off the bed and clacked downstairs.

_I don't understand…why… I'm burning…_ Akio thought to herself, only herself this time. She had no other soul to keep her company and no one had come with her in this time. Though, at the thought of her family having to watch, she felt her eyes burn with tears that refused to come. _I feel…as though…the heat…so unbearable…_ She gasped in pain as she felt her temperature skyrocket again, surging farther than the normal 103 it had been staying at- her body was burning itself to death.

The pain that burned in her eyes, sank down her throat into her chest, where it burned in her heart for a long time- the excruciating pain that she couldn't avoid. Not the pain that she had on the outside, the pain that the morphine got rid of, the pain that plagued her now—but inside pain, pain in the heart that you get when you realize that there is no turning back.

Shii came back upstairs as Akio's body lost all strength, pain consuming her to delirium She opened her dull eyes wide, as if to see who was at the door without turning her head.

"It's Atsumi, and Shii…" Shii whispered, jumping up to take her spot by her master yet again.

"What are we doing here?" Atsumi asked, looking at Akio's dying body sadly.

With a small smile, one that she made with great effort, she smiled. "…we…a-are saying…our…goodbyes…" she gasped, her small smile fading quickly as Atsumi turned away from her.

Akio had not seen many people in the last few days since the typhoid was diagnosed. She had seen Faust, the man she had secretly admired for a very long time- he had told her she was going to be ok…they had all said she would be ok. And here she was, her body so hot and close to death it felt as though the very fires of xocc were pulling her down into the bed to try and take her through the floor. _He was wrong, rest his soul, I am… not going to be ok…_

Atsumi went down the stairs, followed by Shii and Akio heard the door shut. Was Shii going to tell her family what had happened to her when she died? Would the beloved cat do what she had told her to do?

With a silent, pain-racked sigh Akio closed her eyes, grieving in a way that nothing could heal- nothing could fix or reconcile for her, a pain that decades and decades of life makes when it comes to a close. She bit her lip weakly, as she often had done when she was in pain before she felt her body loose all energy she had. She felt a small gasp escape her lips and her eyes opened slightly when she found she could no longer breath.

A cool surrounding enveloped her, sending her scorching body into a wave of comfort for the first time in many weeks. She heard the beating of her heart stop as everything darkened for her. They had all been right, death had been very cold. Though, she felt so clean and pure in the cold, more so than she had ever felt in the burning heat.

She looked at her body, which was no longer thin and frail- red and rough, but perfect for her. Nothing she had ever seen or felt. All pain was gone and she felt tears of gratitude pour down her cheeks as she looked at her body- lying lifeless on the bed. She stood up, only nirvana, before whispering silently to herself.

"I wish them, whether I go to heaven or elsewhere, that they will have the same joys that I have now…the peace…that…all will be fine in the end."

She looked out the window silently at Atsumi and Shii, letting the tears dry on her face. They had been good to her, for those last moments before they had left. Atsumi had tried to save her, while Shii had known only death would bring her peace. She was grateful for the chance they had given her.

The chance to once again prove that all was right in the world for her, and everything would someday- work out to be as perfect as she was in this moment.

Shii looked up from where they were sitting outside and over Atsumi's crying spoke. "It's over, she's gone."

"Oh…"

"Are you going to help me get her out of the lab?"

"Nt's too sad…"

"Alright, you should go home, Atsumi- ok?"

She nodded and stood up and left. Shii stood up and walked upstairs to the lab, hopping on the bed where Akio's body was laying there and nuzzled her hand.

"I'm so sorry, Shii." Akio whispered from where she was standing by the window.

"You couldn't stop it." Shii said, looking up at her soul. "At least it's over."

"I know…I know…"Akio said, looking outside again, her eyes saddened. "I should have told them all…"

"They would have healed you- the dragons."

"That would have been meaningless….you know…? Nothingness to me- sustaining a life that didn't need it…I never lived Shii…Lived like everyone else does."

The cat sighed and pulled at a burning hand. "I don't understand."

"Everyone lives life- they do things…I lived in a box…I only experienced a little before everyone deemed me too special to leave… I lived a staged life…For so long I never experienced anything because it was taken away from me. I didn't want them to take my death too."

"I understand."

"Not everyone can see me, can they." She looked at the people in the street.

"No, just certain people."

"I'll be at the funeral…if anyone else is there." She turned her eyes on Shii. "You didn't tell anyone, did you?"

"No."

"Thank you." She said, walking towards the door and down the stairs.

"Akio…?" Shii called, looking at her as she went away. She paused on the stairs, not turning around or answering. "Faust says goodbye too…"

It was raining, as it normally did on the Cader mountainside. Shii was standing in front of a small stone, Akio's name engraved deeply into it. "This is what you wanted?" Shii asked, turning her head to look at Akio- whose eyes were looking sadly at the stone.

"Yes…I wanted this… you did a wonderful job." She smiled softly, not looking at the cat. "I'm grateful for it."

"You're welcome."

The rain beat down, falling in the cracks on the rock- splattering Shii's bones and going through Akio- who had chosen not to let it touch her soul. After a moment there was a small noise and Yuna, someone whom Akio had always been close to, came up to look at the stone.

She could not see Akio, but looked at the stone and read the name over and over again- sighing after a moment and letting the rain drench her.

"Aikiyo Kaminari…" Yuna read sadly.

/They should not be sad for me Shii/ Akio said, watching Yuna softly. /'Sweet is true love that is given in vain, and sweet is death that takes away pain.'...I will be fine…/

/They miss you…/ Shii said, watching Yuna go away. /We should go too, get back to the lab./

/Yes/ Akio said, looking at the mountain one more time before getting solid and picking up Shii. "Lets go my little friend…"

Akio lay on the edge of the building, hands crossed over her waist- held in a small fist as she looked up at the black and white sky. Sky so black as to show the darkness consuming ever ounce of light there was, the stars like millions of suns, squoze into a pinprick and framed against the black abyss.

She couldn't feel the cool cement on her back, though she knew what it should feel like to her- she couldn't feel very much anymore, but not feeling was a lot better than feeling mortal pain; though the pain inside was much greater for the moment.

The stars were masked by a small trace of clouds that painted the blackness, swirling into it and blocking the moon and stars brilliance. "You come here often?"

Akio looked up slightly from where she was laying to see the shiny white figure of her cat Shii. "Sometimes, why?"

"Just wondering, you look like you're thinking very hard about something." She turned from her spot on the edge of the roof and walked along the railing to sit by her master. Akio put out a small hand and stroked the cat's head. Her bones stood out in the monotone darkness, the bright white like the stars in the sky.

"I am thinking…" She said, looking out over the quiet city where the world lay still. "I've had a lot of time to think now."

"As I can imagine." Shii said, laying her head down on her paws. "Why didn't you go on, Akio…?"

Her blue eyes scanned the silent city for a long time. "Bad spirits don't get to move on for awhile.."

"You weren't a bad person."

She didn't answer and lay on her back, looking up at the sky and watching the clouds shade the sky. "Sometimes everyone is bad- I'm just living out my time, Shii…" She smiled weakly at the moon. "It's not so bad being out here though…"

Shii went silent, her bony tail swishing against the roof and making small scraping noises. "You shouldn't be paying off time of your life…"

"Some things I did wrong, Shii- I've told you those things."

The cat thought, walking over to her master and laying down by her side. "You did tell me those things, but you've grown, everyone grows- those things fade."

"They are impressed on my mind- things I should have never thought… never done…Shii, those things…they don't go away." She sat up, standing and going back to hanging her feet off the edge of the building.

"Well, dwelling on them isn't going to make this time pass any quicker."

"No…I suppose you're right." She hopped down off the building and landed on the ground, watching Shii slowly climb back down the way she had gotten up. "But, they don't go away."

"No, I didn't think feelings went away." Shii looked at Akio for a long moment with her dark eyes before Akio turned and went away.

"No…" she whispered to the darkness. "They don't." She walked down the streets- avoiding the way back to the lab- she wasn't sure if she wanted to go back yet…so many things had happened there, she had gone through so many feelings.

She turned around and saw Shii's body dart across the road and homeward before she looked at the ground, kicking it with her foot. "So many feelings…"

After a long time Akio sat down on a bench, looking at everything that was around her in the darkness. The streetlights were still on, sending a light to the road- she was not sure how to act.

Faust had come back to the lab now- and had heard about Akio's death, which was something Shii was not to excited about telling him. Akio didn't spend time in the lab anymore and often was wandering in and out of the city in thought.

"Faaaaust." Shii said, looking up at him as they walked through the lab. "Faaaust…"

Faust looked down at her slowly, eyes vacant. "What is it?" He picked her up without waiting for a response. "I need to do something, I'll see you later."

Shii made a noise and climbed on his shoulder after he picked her up. "What do you need to do?

He smiled. "Don't worry about it, just stay here. I'll be back."

Shii looked at the long way down from his shoulder. "Um…ok.."

He picked her up and put her on the ground, smiling slightly. "Goodbye, I wont be gone long. Will you do me a favor?"

"What is it?" Shii asked.

"Go the the store and get some chocolate—I'll go and pay for it later."

Shii looked up and nodded. "Alright, I'll go get some." She went down the street to the candy store to get some.

"I wonder what's going on?" Shii said, walking into the store and grabbing a chocolate bar in her mouth before walking out casually- no one could see her when she was small. "He just…up and left…that's odd, even for him."

Faust wandered around for awhile, looking for Akio's spirit- he had something he wanted to say but hadn't said and felt like he needed to now. "Where are you?" he asked the nothingness, wandering around until he found her. He found her sooner than he thought and it made his stomach tense to see her, standing there, looking blankly at everything.

He walked over and tapped her on the shoulder. "Akio?"

"Yes?" She turned around and looked at him. "Oh, Faust." She said, in slight shock of seeing him- she had not seen him since the typhoid.

He wigged out slightly when he looked at her. "Hello."

"Faust…are you feeling ok?" She asked, concerned to see him again.

"No I'm not, and for once I'm going to admit it."

"Oh…I'm glad to hear you're admitting to a problem." She said softly.

"Akio, you're my problem." Faust said bluntly.

Akio paused. "Oh…"

"Dananananana Can't touch this," He started to sing as he walked away.

"So I'm your problem?" Akio said distantly.

Faust turned around to look at her. "You know, I've changed my mind."

"Oh…ok…"

He went on with his song as he walked away. "Dananannananana…"

"It takes my pain away…it's a lie, a kiss with open eyes and she's not breathing back…" Akio sang softly.

Again Faust stopped and then turned around to look at her, grabbing her arm. "Akio…I'm sorry for this ahead of time."

Akio wondered what he was apologizing for, because he hadn't done anything and figured it out as soon as he kissed her, not letting her go. She looked at him before closing her eyes. /Is this what that was about/

/Yes, Akio…/ He said, pulling away from her.

"Why…why didn't you want to tell me…?" she said, puzzled at why he didn't want to talk about something like that.

He paused, thinking. "I care about you a lot, more than a lot. I'm glad you're happy right now- goodbye." He walked off.

Akio watched him, sad he was leaving but glad to have seen him again. "It was good to see you again, Faust."

Faust, who had tried yet again to go off morphine that day, sighed as his eye twitched. "Don't lie to me about that Akio- you know I don't like liars."

"But I'm not lying- I told you the truth…"

He whirled around. "No you did not!"

"I did too!" She yelled back at him, looking up at him.

He grabbed her hard by the shoulders again. "DON'T DO THAT!"

"Don't do what!"

He strangled out his reply. "Don't- Don't look at me!"

She closed her eyes, not wanting to bother him. "What's wrong right now?"

"Nothings wrong! What gives you the impression that something is wrong! Just because you have a hold on me doesn't mean anything is wrong!" He glared down at her, though she couldn't see it, then started to laugh to himself.

She opened one of her eyes to look at him. "Then that is what's going on…"

He looked at her, confused. "What…were we talking about…?"

"Don't you remember…?"

"No…I..I have to go." He said, letting go of her and walking away quickly. He walked to the lab and went inside it, looking around for his morphine.

"Wow, that was a quick going away." Shii said as she came down the stairs.

"Lets not talk about that ever again," Faust said, not looking at her.

"Did you do something bad, Faust?" Shii smiled. "You doing ok now?"

"No, I'm not…" He looked at Shii, very stressed. "I fell for everything. I feel so stupid…and I have a headache now…" He rubbed his head and walked up the stairs. "I'm going to bed."

Akio talked to the boy with silvery hair for awhile, he seemed so confused like she had been when she was younger. She had decided she was going to talk to people and try to help them while she was here- she seemed to be able to do more now.

The boy brought up an odd subject and Akio shied away from it, not wanting to have her personal life pried into by someone she didn't know very well. "I want to meet him."

"Why?" she asked.

"I want to distract myself from what I'm doing."

"Distract yourself with him?"

"Yeah."

"Well…let me go… get him…" She said, puzzled before she went to Germany.

"Faust?" She walked upstairs to his room. "Faust, wake up." He snored and didn't look at her, sleeping pretty deeply. She walked over to him and nudged him in the arm. "Wake up."

He made a noise but didn't do anything.

She nudged him over and over again, trying to get him to wake up. "Wake up Faust." He didn't do anything and she grabbed his hand, sqeezing it hard until he spoke.

"Go away Shii, I'll feed you later."

Akio sweatdropped. "No, it's not Shii, It's Akio- wake up." She nudged him again.

"Go away Shii," He turned over and snuggled his blanket. "Go away…zzzzzzzzzz."

She nuzzled his neck, sure he wasn't going to wake up and felt his hand grab her head. "SHII!" he yelled.

"AKIO!" She called back. He looked at her and then put his head under his pillow.

"I want to sleep Akio."

"Someone wanted to meet you." She said, pleased to know he remembered who she was in his overdosed state.

"I'll met them later, let me sleep." He moaned. "I'm sleeping."

She snuggled up next to him. "Wake up."

He pulled his head out from under his pillow and put his arm around her before falling back asleep. He woke up and looked at her, questioning how she had gotten there and how long she had been there with him. "I have a headache, can you go get some medicine for me from downstairs- just grab anything and bring it up to me."

"Alright." She went and got him some and gave it to him.

Faust took it, swallowed and fell over asleep again. Akio sat by him, not getting close and patted his head.

"See…you'll get better."

He woke up. "Akio, I have a headache," he rubbed his head. "Can you go downstairs and get me some medicine?"

She laughed. "We already did that, you took it- and I gave you some morphine already." She pointed to the vial in his hand and he looked at it for a moment in disbelief. "You just need some sleep."

"I'm not tired." He said, sitting up.

"You need some sleep, Faust." She said, pushing him down carefully in hopes that he'd fall asleep again. "I'll go downstairs and get you something for you headache…"

"Don't leave," He said, grabbing her and pulling her down.

She looked at him. "You don't want me too?"

"No…Don't leave me again."

"Alright, then I'll stay here." He kissed her cheek and she returned the favor before he fell asleep quickly again and she snuggled next to him.

After a second he woke up, slower this time and looked at her. "Akio… Where am I…How long have you been here….I think I need some medicine, where is my morphine."

"I'll go gets some for you.." she said, going downstairs and giving it to him.

"I have a headache…" He repeated sadly.

Akio poked him in the head. "How did you get your headache?"

He grabbed her hand and pulled her over to him. "I don't know."

She kissed the top of his head. "Well…I hope it feels better." Faust looked at her for a moment before sitting up abruptly and kissing her. Akio wasn't sure what was going on in his head as she did it back to him. He pulled her back down with him and kept going for a short time.

"It hurts…" He said, stopping quickly.

"I'm sorry…"

"No, not my head."

Akio looked at him, confused. "What then?" Faust didn't give her time to explain as he kissed her again "Can I help?" she asked, returning his kiss. He didn't answer her and kept going until he felt like talking a short time later.

"I'm sorry."

Akio wondered why he was apologizing to her (See Shea! It does get happy every once in awhile!) he hadn't done anything wrong and if he had, she would have told him so. "No, it's fine- I don't mind…"

"Can you get me…more medicine…much, much more?"

"Medicine doesn't always help." Akio said with a quick kiss.

Faust did it back and looked at her. "Then what does?"

"Love."

"Love?"

"Yes love--- love fixes everything."

Faust kissed her. "I love you Akio."

She looked at him. "I love you too Faust." She kissed him. "And I want your headache to go away."

"Then stay here with me."

Akio, still freaked out that Eliza would walk in the room any minute looked at him. "Alright," Hoping that Faust's wife wouldn't just walk in the room- she curled up next to him and felt him put his hand on her side. He rubbed her side lightly before she smiled at him. "Oyasumi…"

"Goodnight." He said as she put her head on his chest.

"You go to sleep too, you need it." She said softly, falling asleep.

"Ok." He kissed her forehead. "Goodnight."


	7. Maybe a little morphine

Akio smiled at faust. "Hey, how are you doing?"

"I'm doing better- and you?" He asked, smiling back.

"Good…but I never have figured out how to turn on the stove."

Akio laughed softly and sat up. "Here, I'll come help you."

"No, you stay her- you sleep."

"But I'm getting better," Akio insisted- sure that her headache was more than totally gone. "Let me help."

"Please? I can handle it." Faust said, standing up as Shii ran in with a box of eggs in her mouth.

"Alright…I'll stay." Akio said, lying back down."

"Thank you," Faust said, going downstairs with Shii and the eggs.

"You know you still have to pay for those?" Shii asked, looking way up at him. Faust touched the stove and looked at it.

"I will…"

Shii hopped up on the stove and looked at it. "So, have you figured out how this works yet?"

"I don't know," Faust said. "I think it's burning."

"Think what is burning?" Shii asked, looking at the stove.

"The burner is," He said. "Lets start the eggs, hand me that pan." He got some eggs and Shii went to get a pan, then jumped up and put it on the burner.

Faust took the pan from her. "I hope I haven't used this for anything." He put some eggs in the pan and looked at them, Shii craned her neck and looked in the pan as well.

"You know, if you put water on the burner, it sizzles…" she looked at the burner.

"Are you…supposed to get all the shells out?" Faust asked, looking at the eggs.

"Yeah, I think you are—unless you like crunchiness…"

"Well some of them went in."

"You just pick them out," Shii said.

"Um…alright…" Faust said, picking shells out of the eggs.

"That's right, do you have a spatula…or a…?"

Faust grabbed a large butcher knife out of a drawer and looked at it. "I'll have to wash this off," He went over and rinsed it with soap and water before scooting the eggs in the pan around with it. "Alright."

"Ok, that works too."

"Look, it's cooking."

Shii looked in the pan. "Wow."

Faust poked the egg around. "Is it done? I think its done."

"Did you poke it in the middle?"

He did so and then looked at Shii. "It didn't explode.."

"Then its done!" Shii said, grabbing a plate.

"Lets give these to Akio." He said with a proud smile, pouring the runny egg on the plate. "And she'll need a spoon," he slid the egg around on the plate and grabbed a spoon before going upstairs with Shii and opening the door. "Akio?"

"Hm?" She asked, sitting up.

"We made you something." Faust said, smiling as Shii went in the room.

"That was nice of you," She said as he brought her the almost uncooked egg.

"We worked hard."

Akio took the plate, starving and not wanting to turn their hard work down. "Thank you."

"You're welcome," Faust handed her the spoon.

She ate the eggs, knowing they were not cooked nearly as far as they should be, and knowing that she couldn't die again- so she felt safe. "I'll have to cook for you guys sometime." She said, finishing.

"Not until you've rested."

"I have rested!"

"Do you feel better?"

"Yes, you guys are excellent caregivers." Akio smiled at Faust and Shii.

"Thanks…are you off your medicine now?"

"My curare?" Akio asked, knowing curare was a heavy drug and nothing close to medication. "Yes, I hid it."

"Good."

"Yes, very good."

"And you should be proud of me, I've been off morphine for eight hours." Faust said.

Akio beamed. "Yes, Yes I am very proud." She was very glad he had tried to give it up- she wanted him off of it somehow so he wouldn't have to rely on it. "You doing ok?"

"I feel strange…"

"Strange?"

"I know how to explain…but… I don't want to make you uncomfortable."

"You should tell me," She said. "I am a physiatrist after all."

"I don't think I should, I don't really think you'd like to know."

"How do you know…?"

"Trust me, Akio."

"What if you told someone else? You could just tell someone else- I'll pretend to be a doctor…Dr…uh...Doctor K- and you can trust me."

"Hello Dr. K."

"Would you please tell me your symptoms?"

"Symptoms? Do I have them?"

"I'm not sure." She admitted, smiling and lying back down. "Oh well, I'm me again now."

"Ok…"

"Unless you wanted to talk to Dr. K again?"

"Maybe I do, that was fun."

"Alright," She sat back up. "You're back sir?"

"Yes I am."

"Do you have anything new you could report about?" she asked.

"Maybe I do."

"Would you like to tell me?" She asked, looking at him.

"No."

"Oh…"

"You can stop now, Akio, its fine—I just wanted to be troublesome for a few minutes. Was I?"

"Nope," Akio said, lying back down again. "Why did you want to be?"

"Like I said- I feel strange."

"You feel strange like crazy?"

"Yes, like crazy." He said.

"See!" she smiled. "THAT wasn't so hard to admit."

"…yes but you don't know what's in my head…"

"You just said you were crazy though,"

"Yes, about certain things…"

"Like…lots?"

"No, just certain things."

She smiled at him. "Like what things?"

"So innocent…even in death…" He said, smiling back.

"I am NOT innocent!" she said, laughing. "Maybe I can be naïve, but not innocent."

"You're naïve and innocent…"

"Then make me not so innocent and naïve," She said, looking at him.

"You don't even know what I'd do.."

She raised her eyebrow. "Is that really supposed to scare me?" she looked at him. "Just do it."

"Nein…" he looked at her then leaned over and bit her lips. She closed her eyes and hummed and he stopped suddenly. "I'm…um…going to go cook something."

"Why are you being so shy," She asked him.

"I'm not- I just don't want to get carried away…"

"What do you mean."

"You're being naïve again.."

"How am I being naïve again," she looked at him. "Faust…? Please…tell me…" she got quiet.

"No- I don't really want to—I just don't want to get carried away…don't make me get my drugs out again." She went silent and sighed, curling up on the bed. "I'm sorry…"

"No, it's fine."

"I don't think so."

"Well…I cant change it…so I wont complain."

"I'm a horrible man." He said slowly.

"How…are you horrible?" she asked sadly.

"…horrible…"

"Why…?"

He looked at her and his eye twitched.

"Faust, why are you a horrible man?" She sat up and looked at him, concerned.

He got up and left the room suddenly. Akio sighed as she heard him get something from downstairs- his morphine. Akio lay back in bed and looked at the ceiling sadly. "That was difficult…"

She heard the door slam.

"I cant believe I forgot about this body," Faust said, pulling the sheet of the body and looking at it. "Its getting old now."

"Then you'd better hurry and get on with the project." Akio said, looking at the body of the girl.

"Oh, I will." He said with an excited grin. "I'll go fast—do you have any ideas?"

"How did the rib work out," She asked, watching him take some books down.

"It didn't, I never figured out the chant."

"Why don't you make up a new chant?" Akio asked.

Faust looked up. "Make one up?"

"Yeah, sure—what would it have to say?"

"Just about becoming alive- things like that."

Akio paused. "Would 'alive forever' work?"

"We could try."

Akio closed her eyes and chanted softly. "Hi-ra-U-O, Beo go Deo…" then carefully she counted the thirteen chants inbetween before ending. "Hi-ra-U-O, Marbh go deo.."

Faust watched. "Here, do it to the bone…" He gave it to her and watched as she chanted. "You can do it with that chant…you did it!" He hugged her. "Now try it on the whole body, I'll help."

The two of them chanted, concentrating hard on getting the body to come back to life- Faust watching with wide eyes while Akio squoze her eyes tightly shut.

The body opened its eyes and sat up, looking around in confusion. Faust looked at her. "What is your birthday…"

"Its August 13…why!"

"I just wanted to know if you're a real spirit! YOU ARE! IT WORKED!" He said, laughing insanely as he hugged Akio.

"I DIDN'T KNOW IT WOULD WORK!" Akio said, looking at Evadine, the body.

"Oh...you'll be staying with us for awhile," Faust said, pulling out morphine and injecting it into Evadine- watching her get drowsy and fall asleep.

"I can't believe we did it!" Akio said, laughing.

"I can't believe you did it so easily!"

Akio grabbed him and kissed him. "That was amazing! This is amazing! You're amazing! This is all amazing!"

"You're amazing too," He said, kissing her. "That was great."

"Yes," Akio said, smiling.

"And you're tall."

"Yup!"

He looked at her. "I..I feel like a fool."

"Why?" Akio asked.

"I just, get so flustered easily."

"It's fine."

"Fine for me to feel like an idiot?"

"Are you a happy idiot?"

"…Yes."

"Then its fine…" She said softly as he kissed her. /Just remember, you're amazing./

/Only with your help…/ he looked at her lovingly and led her upstairs.

Akio followed him and walked in his room as he shut the door, shivering slightly. "You sure you're ok with this?" Faust asked, looking at her and nipping at her jaw.

"Y-yes.." Akio said softly.

"Akio….?"

"Yes?"

"I'm…worried…"

She looked at him. "Worried about what?"

"You're not worried?"

"No, I'm not- should I be?"

"Maybe…no…not yet at least." Faust said.

Akio paused, trying to think what he was talking about. "Can…can that happen when you're dead?" she grinned.

"I don't know…"

"Why are you worried?"

"I don't know.."

"Then you should be excited- i mean- you dont know and if it doesn't work then you know...but if it does-- think what we could learn-- !" Akio said with a grin.

Faust chuckled. "You know, you're taking the scientific standpoint on this." He sat down and sighed."Faust," she said, sitting by him.

"We shouldn't let this bother us…"

"I know."

"You're a shaman, you can figure this out and put your problems to rest if you wanted to."

"Yes, I am a shaman."

It bothered Akio that she couldn't make him feel better about this- things lik this were supposed to be good things, weren't they? She wasn't sure what it was supposed to be--- it was overlooked when she had had children, because it was something that happened all the time. She bit her lip. "You can sense souls better than me."

"I don't know if I can." He said. "I've never really tried to find a spirit before."

"Do you know any shamans that have?"

"Not that I know of."

Akio stopped talking, thinking. "Ren?"

"Tao Ren?"

"Yes, the Tao in Canada."

Faust paled as Akio looked up at him. "Its ok."

"I'm so sorry, Akio." He said quietly.

She held in a small laugh. "Its fine Faust- are you ok—you look kinda pale.."

"You don't mind?"

"No, not at all."

He sighed. "I don't know what's going to happen."

"Neither do I…" Akio admitted.

"Are we staying in the lab?"

"I like it in the lab," She said, smiling.

"That means I'll have to move in…which means… I'll have to talk to Eliza."

"Or I could, if you wanted." She said.

"No, I don't think that would be a good idea." He said, rubbing his head.

"Are you ok…" Akio said, watching him with concern.

"I need to lie down, but, I'll talk to Eliza first." He said, standing up.

Akio looked up at him. "Good luck… if you need to talk, I'm here mentally."

He nodded and left.

Shii nudged Akio into the room, she looked and saw Eliza and froze. "Hallo…" She said, starting to freak out that Faust's wife was in the room with her- Eliza was supposed to know.

"Ich verstehe nicht Ihre Sprache! Verlassen Sie ein sein Labor!"

"NEIN!"

"Sie haben kein Recht, hier zu sein! ie hatten Ihren Spaß mit meinem Ehemann, verlassen jetzt!"

Akio looked at her. "Ich bin hier irgendwie Ich verließ ihn nicht"

gehen Sie hinaus!

Ich wünsche Sie mich bilden Zwingen Sie mich heraus!

Eliza grabbed Akio by the throat "ich Wille Sie Gör!"

Akio gasped. "Fein."

"gehen Sie! hinaus!"

"Ich kann nicht! wir werden hier bleiben!"

"ja können Sie! gehen Sie hinaus! Faust ist meiner!"

"wir werden hier bleiben!" Akio said.

Eliza looked at her darkly. "gehen Sie..."

Akio looked at her harshly. "ich und mein Kind bleiben hier"

"Kind... welches Kind..." Eliza said darkly.

"Dieses Kind," akio said, putting her hand on her stomach. "Erika."

"wessen!" she said angrily. "wer Ihr Kind! hervorbringen!"

"Ich habe es nicht noch gehabt"

"ignorieren Sie mich nicht! wer der Vater Ihres Kindes! ist!" Eliza said angrily

"Ihr Ehemann"

Eliza paused, angrily. "Sie liegen!"

Faust walked in the lab. "Eliza…"

"ich hasse Sie Ehemann! warum Sie angetan diesem mich haben Sie! lassen Sie sie im Augenblick!" Eliza said angrily.

"Eliza... sind nicht, bitte verärgert -- ich kippe nach Hause gekommen mit Ihnen... eliza, habe ich liebte Sie, denke nicht, daß ich nicht habe. Aber ich bin ein Vater jetzt, und ich liebe akio. Bitte behinderen Sie nicht mein Leben. Nach Hause, gehen eliza.."

"Ich bin so traurig..." Akio whispered sadly

"Sie sind ein schrecklicher Mann, Faust." Eliza said, leaving.

"I don't think shes too thrilled." Akio said, watching Eliza leave.

"She doesn't have to be." He said. "Are you ok?"

"Yeah—I'm fine…oh…I found out what it is…"

"You did? How?"

"I just knew…" she said as he touched her stomach. "..Mädchen..."

"She'll be perfect." Akio's eyes got wide. "Hm?"

"I've never done this while I was conscious."

"You haven't?"

"No, blaze always knocked me out and I'd wake up the next day."

"if you don't mind, I don't want to knock you out—I don't think you should miss something like this…"

"Akioooooooooooooooooooooo." Faust called, walking in the lab happily and looking around. "Hellooo?"

"Hey," she said, smiling at his much happier attitude.

He blinked hard several times. "When did you cut your hair?"

"Me?"

"No, the one beside you." He said.

Akio twilighed, knowing that he was on something strong today. "Um…Yesterday."

"Oh come now, Akio, introduce me to your friend."

She smiled and pointed beside her. "Faust, this is my friend."

Faust put out his hand. "Hello, my, you have a firm handshake." He paused. "AKIO! I NEED A FAVOR!"

"Hn?"

"Get me a pot!"

"A pot of what?" she asked, looking at him as she went to the cupboard.

He laughed happily. "An empty pot."

Akio came back and handed him the pot. "Oh, here."

"Thank you," He smiled and looked at the pot before hurling it out a window.

"Faust, are you ok?" she asked, looking at him with concern.

"Of course I'm ok!" he said. "Akio! I need a favor!"

"…Alright, yes?"

"I need a pot!"

"You just threw the pot out the window- there are no more pots, Faust- they're gone."

"Goodness," He said, running outside into the yard and picking up the pot. "Hm, so I have…" He brought the pot inside. "I like the pot, but…I don't like the liquid IN the pot."

Akio watched him in wide-eyed puzzlement. "I have a question for you."

"Yes?"

"If you could have a little boy, or a little girl, what would you have?"

"Is this a trick question? I LOVE trick questions!"

"Yes, Yes it's a trick question! See how well you answer it."

Faust walked back over to the window and smashed the broken pieces of glass out of the frame. "Hm..I'd want a dog, a bone dog."

"Ah… a dog like Frankenstieny?"

"Yes, they're good and loyal." He paused before whirling around. "Akio- I need a favor!"

Akio, wary of another pot window smashing nodded. "Yes? What is it?"

"There is a box, in that cupboard, will you get it?" He pointed to a cupboard. "I need to look in that box!"

"Yes," She retrieved the box and handed it to him.

"I need to look in that box! Oh, thank you!" he took the box and looked inside with big eyes.

Akio couldn't help but laugh. "What's in the box, Frausty."

"Das ve I, das nie allem gesehen wird, mögen dieses! es ist wirklich! erstaunlich! oooh, liebe ich Medikationwunder!" he laughed and showed her the empty box.

"Fashite!" She said.

"Es gibt nichts, meine Liebe!"

She laughed. "That's fine, I understand." Faust chuckled and dropped the box. "Are you going to be ok on your medication miracles?"

"Hm? Why of course Akio. I'm not on morphine though, I've been a good man."

"Good!" she said, smiling. "GOOD BOY!"

"Yes! Yes! It is quite amazing! Akio! I need a favor!" (There was a lot of screaming..Ox)

Akio grinned at him. "You're crazy, you know that?"

"I am not ."

"What do you want then?"

"I want you."

She laughed at him. "Ich wünsche Sie auch."

"Nurse Akio!" he said, shocked. "Really now…?"

"Yes."

He held out a long arm. "I think I've broken my arm, nurse Akio."

She took his arm. "Really now?"

"I fell on it." He explained.

"Oh, I am very sorry."

"Yes, please help it."

She looked up at him. "How do you want me to help it."

"You are the nurse!"

"Yes, yes, but you are the doctor. How do you want me to fix it, Dear Faust?"

"Helfen Sie es bitte! es verletzt Krankenschwester akio!" He yelled.

Akio kissed his arm. "There, all better."

"Yes," he smiled, "It does feel better."

"That's good." Akio said, beaming.

"You are very much my medication."

She smiled. "FAUST! I NEED A FAVOR!"

"What is it!"

Akio laughed. "I DON'T KNOW!" She fell down.

"You must have forgotten! Akio! Don't fall down! I hurt my arm that w1"

He helped her up and she screamed. "AHH MY ARM!"

"Your arm!" He screamed back at Akio's strangled expression. He took her arm and looked at it. "Hm… I'm surprised, but I wont have to amputate. At least not yet."

"Phew," Akio sighed in relieve.

"Yes, its relieving."

"And we don't have to cut your arm either." She said, smiling as Faust kissed her arm.

"There, much better."

Akio smiled. "You drive me crazy, meine liebe ."

"Frausties always know the best."

"Yes you do."

"Hm..?"

"You always know the best."

"Yes I do—I am a doctor you know." Faust said.

"Yes I do." Akio said with a grin.

"Wie sie?"

"Ja, Ja, Ja." Akio laughed.

Faust laughed too. "Ja, ja, ja----WHAT!" his eyes caught sight of the window. "What happened to my window!"

"I know,"

"Who could have done this!"

"THERE!" Akio yelled, running to the window and looking out it into the yard. "There is the culprit!"

Shii, who was in the yard looking at the broken glass looked up. "Huh?"

"The cat!" Faust screamed. "I must fix the window with your secret medicine, love." He said, kissing the glass-less frame.

"You're very good at that."

"Yes I know- but it still isn't working!"

Akio patted his arm. "I know."

"AHH! You've broken my arm!" Faust yelled, looking at it.

Akio went wide eyed and kissed his arm. "There, is that better?"

"No, it's still broken."

"You want more to fix it?"

"Ja, es verletzt…"

"I know, I know." Akio said, kissing his arm again.

"It feels much better, thank you nurse Akio." Faust said.

"You're welcome doctor Fashite."

Faust laughed and Akio smiled. "Well, I believe I have made a full recovery."

"That's great!"

Faust looked a little off from Akio. "Your friend can quit worrying about it."

"Oh, she says she will."

He nodded. "That's wonderful."

"Well, I have to go to bed Dr. Fashite! Because I may be getting sick."

"To bed!" he looked at her. "But—But—"

She looked at Faust tenderly. "I'm sorry, but my body says 'GO TO BED'!"

"Then you must listen." He said, hearing her stomach lurch and kissing it.

Akio kissed the top of his head. "Good-night, my love."

"Night!" He said, smiling.

"Do you sleep upstairs still, Faust?"

He nodded. "Yes."

"Then that is where I'll be, but I'll probably be asleep—so you can talk to my stomach."

"I will."

"Alright, goodnight." Akio said, going upstairs to go to sleep.


End file.
